In the literacy area this week we have been continuing to explore weight and size through parcels. The children have been role playing a post office which we are now transforming into a Christmas workshop. The children are currently voting on the name of the workshop, by doing this they are exercising their right to their voice being heard (article 12). The children have also been writing and creating cards, practising mark making of familiar words. 

This week in the sand we have been exploring weight and balance! We have been using our large balance scales to compare the weight of various items around the nursery. Here are some lovely quotes!

“When I put more in it went up by itself, you need to get more sand to make it go all the way to the  floor” YK

“ I moved this button and it made this one go down when I pushed it up that one went up again, now they are both the same” YK

“It’s not balancing because it’s moving, when it don’t move it’s balancing” MM

“Can you help me lift the bucket, I’m pouring a little out but it’s too heavy” AK

“ I had the most but A had it up so we don’t even know who is the winner” MM

“What would happen if this one was heavy and that one was heavy , they would go in the middle?” JW & IR

“It’s not working that one has a big bit of sand and that one only has a tiny bit” AK

“Mine is almost at the top that one is further down” JW

“I know,  we can put that one on the top, then that one on. That’s definitely going to be the heaviest” JW

“This one is high, this one is not heavy. That one has gone down and this one up” SS

“We are going to write down how heavy it is, ok shall we measure them. Yours feels really heavy” MS

This week in the block area there has been lots of creative construction going on. From tunnels to bridges, bat caves to castles and snack shops to towers. There has been lots of problem solving, risk assessing, creativity, collaborative and imaginative play. The small world resources and loose parts have been used within these structures to bring imaginative play to life. 

Following conversation with the children and observing their play, we decided the area needed to be bigger to allow more children space to play and to accommodate the larger constructions, obstacle courses and ball runs. So far this has proved to be successful bringing in more children with big ideas. 

In the creative area, the children have been developing their fine and gross motor skills, whilst mark making, with Christmas baubles and non standard mark makers. The children took turns of talking and listening, as they discussed the festive season and what their Christmas trees looked like. In addition, the children learned that people celebrate a variety of festivals and that not everyone celebrates Christmas. Some children shared ways in which they celebrated Eid. The children enjoyed describing their creations, to their peers.

In the water area, the children choose to create a ‘winter themed’ provocation. They were challenged to use the tongs and small scoops, to count quantities of Pompoms and bells, then match them to a value of up to 10.. Some children decided to ‘feed’ the sea lions, penguins and polar bears, quantities of ‘food’. Furthermore, the children learned how water can change from water into ice. They discovered that it related to the temperature being above or below 0 degrees.

We have been exploring how asteroids made craters on the moon and testing which ball or rock would make the biggest crater.  This develops the children’s mathematical and scientific skills of prediction, observation and discussing of findings.

“If you drop it like this it will make a bigger explosion cause it’s harder.” Clark

“Sometimes you can see the moon in the morning.” Hamish

“When a meteor zooms and crashes, some of it falls to Earth.” Sam